Deep Fried Pepper-Salted Pork Cutlets with Rice in Silky Egg Sauce 滑蛋椒鹽排骨飯

This is the must-order menu item at a corner tuck shop in Eastwood for T, and he has been craving for this for quite awhile. Since that shop is located at the corner of the market roads seating for us with a baby and a toddler is a bum. I was trying to recall the taste and texture from memory because I only had it once 4 years ago.. I surprised T with the dish tonight and he was very impressed!! Here is the recipe and I am so gonna make it again!!

How much am I paying for dinner tonight?

SPENDING:

4pcs Pork Cutlets – $3.69
Rice + Eggs + other seasonings – maybe less than $5?

This serves 4 so that makes each serve is less than $2.50.

INGREDIENTS:

Steam Rice:
4 cups Jasmine or Medium Grain Rice – cooked and get ready in rice cooker

Deep Fried Pork Cutlets:
4 pcs Pork cutlets
3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Shao-Xin cooking wine 紹興酒
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Corn Starch
1 tsp Bio-Carb Soda
4-5 Tbsp Sweet Potato Flour
Heaps of Oil for deep frying

Pepper-Salted Crusts:
1 Tbsp White Pepper
1 Tbsp Chicken Powder or MSG
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Sichuan Pepper Powder 花椒粉
1 Tbsp Fried Garlic Crisp 乾炸蒜酥
1 Tbsp Fried Shallot Crisp 乾紅葱酥

Silky Egg Sauce:
3 cups of water
1 Tbsp/cube Chicken Stock
2 Tbsp Corn Starch
2 Eggs – roughly beaten
1 tsp Sugar
1 drip Sesame Oil
1 Stalk Spring Onion – chopped

METHOD:

Cut the pork cutlets into inch strips. Marinate with soy sauce, shao-xin cooking wine, sugar and corn starch, mix well for at least 30 minutes.
Get the rice to start cooking.
Cook the Silky Egg Sauce first. Bring the water to boil in a pot. Get the chicken stock to melt in. Add sugar and sesame oil.
In a small bowl use 3-4 Tbsp of cold water and mix well with the corn starch, while stirring add into the pot. Stir well and let boil. The sauce should be thicken up.
Turn to medium low heat and pour in the eggs and keep stirring to make the silky sauce. It should start appearing yellowish. Remove from heat. Reheat it before serving.
Now we will make the Pepper-Salt Crust. Get a fry pan and put on medium heat. While pan is hot add in the white pepper, chicken powder, salt, dried garlic, dried shallot and half of the spring onion. Toss and mix over heat until fragrant. Remove from heat.
Now we will deep fry the pork cutlets. Get plenty of oil in another frying pan. Heat oil on medium high heat until roughly 170 degrees. You can test by sticking a chopstick in and if you see small bubbles around the chopsticks it means oil is ready. While waiting oil to heat up add bio-carb soda to the pork cutlets and mix well.
When oil is ALMOST ready add the sweet potato flour to the pork cutlets. Slightly mix through.
When oil is READY cook the pork cutlets in the oil, turn occasionally until the meat turn golden colour. This takes about 5 minutes.
Remove the pork cutlets from oil with a strainer and let sit aside. Heat up the oil on high heat until maybe 180 degrees. Return the pork cutlets into the oil and you should see a lot of bubbles around the meat. This process help to crisp up the crust by taking out excessive moist from the meat. Once the bubbles lessen bring the meat out and let sit on kitchen paper to absorb excessive oil.
Remove the oil pan from stove. Return the pan with pepper-salt crust on medium heat. Add the pork cutlets into the crust and toss until every piece of meat covers up with the pepper-salt and crust. Meanwhile reheat the egg sauce on low fire.
Once everything is ready to serve, place the steam rice on a dinner plate, place the pork cutlets on top, then top up with 2 ladles of silky egg sauce. Sprinkly with some spring onion to garnish.